Did Fulmer overvalue himself?

Did Fulmer overvalue himself?

  • Yes

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#1
#1fulmerite

#1fulmerite

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#1
There has been much discussion about Fulmer on these boards as late as this week and, amongst Vol fans in general. As it seems, most on here state they believed it was time for him to go before his first firing. To me, he never seemed to accept it. It was as if he thought he was Tennessee football and above everyone and was owed more than just the millions he was paid. Then, when he came back as AD, there was a glow surrounding him as though he was proving he was Tennessee football and him being named AD was proof he was wronged. Before his first firing, it also seemed he was oblivious to the negative environment that the fan based had against him; he was in disbelief about his first firing. Was he thinking about Majors and the legions of the miserables and thus did not see the total sentiment? I think his negotiated package the second time included box seats among other perks. He never seemed to settle away from the Tennessee spotlight. I just can’t recall another coach who never accepted their firing like he did.
 
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#4
#4
Yes, he did overvalue himself. He hired Clawson from Richmond, which was a lower-tier school, thinking he'd take him under his wing. Fulmer's ego couldn't handle hiring an appropriate, established offensive coordinator.

Flash forward to Fulmer's AD tenure. We had Mike Leach lined up as HC, but again, Fulmer couldn't stand the thought of an air-raid legend calling the shots. Yet again, Fulmer's hubris led him to hire someone unqualified. He thought he could mold Pruitt into Fulmer 2.0 rather than hiring the most qualified candidate.

Fulmer's strength was recruiting, and his loyalty to the university. In Fulmer's view, he was a great offensive mind. In reality, the great offensive minds were coaches like Urban Meyer, Bobby Petrino, Steve Spurrier, and David Cutcliffe. Had he put his ego aside in hiring an elite offensive coordinator, he could have survived another 5 to 10 years.

He also kept gaining weight throughout his tenure. Yes, there are plenty of fat coaches, but it seemed the more weight Fulmer put on, the slower his football mind worked.

I do appreciate the natty and SEC championships he gave us. Nowadays, I want him as far from the program as possible.
 
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#5
#5
#1fulmerite said:
There has been much discussion about Fulmer on these boards as late as this week and, amongst Vol fans in general. As it seems, most on here state they believed it was time for him to go before his first firing. To me, he never seemed to accept it. It was as if he thought he was Tennessee football and above everyone and was owed more than just the millions he was paid. Then, when he came back as AD, there was a glow surrounding him as though he was proving he was Tennessee football and him being named AD was proof he was wronged. Before his first firing, it also seemed he was oblivious to the negative environment that the fan based had against him; he was in disbelief about his first firing. Was he thinking about Majors and the legions of the miserables and thus did not see the total sentiment? I think his negotiated package the second time included box seats among other perks. He never seemed to settle away from the Tennessee spotlight. I just can’t recall another coach who never accepted their firing like he did.
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It’s March of 2026 and this is what’s on your mind?
 
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#6
#6
volfan2024 said:
I’ll always appreciate the 98 team.He had great assistants but greater players imo. He could recruit!
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Fulmer was handed the keys to a Ferrari. Granted, he helped build it. He also came into a league that was top heavy and not The SEC we see today. If we had not have had complete disfunction in the UTAD, and hired say, Patterson, we wouldn’t even think twice about running him off. Fulmer quit, and never coached again. That should tell you all you need to know.
 
#8
#8
GAVol said:
Tells me that he was 58, rich and could do whatever he wanted. I aspire to be that someday. lol
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Thanks for confirming. Real alpha competitors don’t think like that, so there you have it. Fulmer was content to go out a defeated, loser. His choice, but only validates that he was done in his mind.
 
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#9
#9
WaywardVol said:
Thanks for confirming. Real alpha competitors don’t think like that, so there you have it. Fulmer was content to go out a defeated, loser. His choice, but only validates that he was done in his mind.
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You lost me at alpha. People who believe in that $hit are out of touch
 
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#11
#11
He should’ve stepped aside after the 5-6 season in 2005. I believe we started ranked 3rd in the preseason polls that year and finished with our first losing season since 1988 but no he hung around and gave us another losing season in 2008.
 
#12
#12
DaddyChad said:
I do absolutely believe Fulmer loved Tennessee…. Just not as much as he loved himself.

He was a good coach with great assistants. He had no business ever being AD.
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Yeah, hard to argue with a VFL having the 16 years of success he had. Have to value this, and Fulmer gets credit for this. He was in right place at right time with right talent. I don't blame him on his opinion he shouldn't have been fired... most all HC's are alpha minded with supreme confidence in their abilities.

The AD thing is where I have the problem w/ his ego.
 
#17
#17
Phil Fulmer exemplified the spirit and intent of the very famous "Peter Principle", which simply put, means one rises to a position at work where you are in over your head. Man, I know everyone reading this can relate to this simple philosophy - whether it humbly happened to ourselves or more than likely, we observed at our own workplace and or with friends and family. (raise your hand if you ever had an incompetent boss!!) For example, just because Joe was a good salesman, does NOT mean he has the skillset to be a good Sales Manager - does it?

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I liked Phil and will always be grateful for our Natty. He is a good man, family man, gracious and does love UT. However, AD is not the same as being a coach on the field. AD is much more political and administrative plus, it is not near as much "hands on" - which is a phrase that epitomizes a Head Coach.

I cannot answer this poll question, for Phil didn't appoint himself to AD. Did the Chancellor and Board place too high of a value on Phil? Yes, I think they thought/hope his skills on the field would carry over to the boardroom. Most of us know from practical experience, that this is a rare occurrence.
 
#18
#18
WaywardVol said:
Fulmer was handed the keys to a Ferrari. Granted, he helped build it. He also came into a league that was top heavy and not The SEC we see today. If we had not have had complete disfunction in the UTAD, and hired say, Patterson, we wouldn’t even think twice about running him off. Fulmer quit, and never coached again. That should tell you all you need to know.
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Fulmer didn’t coach again bc no one would hire him that he thought was worth coaching for. He probably could have gotten a coaching job at a smaller school.

Only Tennessee would hire him as an AD. There were a few thousand calls that should’ve went down before that call was made.
 
#19
#19
WaywardVol said:
Thanks for confirming. Real alpha competitors don’t think like that, so there you have it. Fulmer was content to go out a defeated, loser. His choice, but only validates that he was done in his mind.
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I think Phil was a better coach than you give him credit for and not as good as some think. He was a good coach that reached the highest level of success. Success brings pride and distractions and he just couldn’t overcome that. Some people like Saban are never satisfied and that’s what makes them never derail. It’s very rare though.
 
#20
#20
DaddyChad said:
I think Phil was a better coach than you give him credit for and not as good as some think. He was a good coach that reached the highest level of success. Success brings pride and distractions and he just couldn’t overcome that. Some people like Saban are never satisfied and that’s what makes them never derail. It’s very rare though.
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“Was” being the operative word. I think Phil “was” a very good coach, who got distracted, arrogant and lazy. I think he failed to upgrade his staff when given the opportunity, or allow his assistants to enforce discipline. He wasn’t the same without Dickey there to mentor him. He was more concerned with Bama cheating than he was with his own house. There was little Phil had to do than find quality capable assistants and let them work.
 
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#22
#22
Yes, he very much overvalued himself even when he was OC at Tennessee, he got us to #4 or whatever as the interim while Coach Majors was out with open heart surgery, then we lost three in a row, and he was very much vocal in getting Majors fired so he would take over. Then he was AD, and when he tried to make a hire it was a fiasco (Schiano Sunday, Mike Leach, and ultimately getting that fat bald idiot Jeremy Pruitt). He was a great recruiter, good coach, combination like that will get you a championship eventually, but, that never results in being the coach that Fulmer thought he was.
 
#23
#23
DarkVolder said:
He should’ve stepped aside after the 5-6 season in 2005. I believe we started ranked 3rd in the preseason polls that year and finished with our first losing season since 1988 but no he hung around and gave us another losing season in 2008.
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The only way I disagree with this post is if Coach Fulmer could have kept David Cutcliffe on as OC for the duration of his head coaching tenure here.
 
#24
#24
DarkVolder said:
He should’ve stepped aside after the 5-6 season in 2005. I believe we started ranked 3rd in the preseason polls that year and finished with our first losing season since 1988 but no he hung around and gave us another losing season in 2008.
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He claimed 2005 was one of his best years of coaching by keeping it all together.
 
#25
#25
DarkVolder said:
He should’ve stepped aside after the 5-6 season in 2005. I believe we started ranked 3rd in the preseason polls that year and finished with our first losing season since 1988 but no he hung around and gave us another losing season in 2008.
Click to expand...
Better stat for ya, losing to Vanderbilt for the first time since 1983
 
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